President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden met Thursday at the final presidential debate.
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The debate, a more orderly meeting than the chaotic clash last month, focused heavily on the COVID-19 crisis, which has battered the economy and killed more than 222,000 Americans. Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, went after Trump for his handling of the pandemic. “Anyone who’s responsible for that many deaths should not be president of the United States of America,” said Biden, who warned the country was heading for a “dark winter.”
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Trump dismissed Biden’s attack, referencing his own bout with the virus. “I was in the hospital. I had it. I got better,” he said. “We have to recover.” He mentioned the survival rate of those who contract the virus, including young people like his son, Barron.
Biden shot back: “He says we’re learning to live with it. People are learning to die with it.”
The debate, held in Nashville, was the first meeting between the two presidential candidates since Trump contracted COVID-19 earlier this month. The president backed out of a debate scheduled for last week after rejecting a virtual format that organizers instituted as a safety precaution. The candidates instead appeared at dueling town halls aired simultaneously.
The organizing body introduced new rules for Thursday’s debate, with the candidates’ microphones muted when it wasn’t their turn to speak. The rule was added after last month’s debate, which devolved into a melee as Trump repeatedly went over his time limit. The tone of Thursday night’s debate was still testy, but more restrained, with less interruption from either candidate.
Read more: New mic-muting rules prompt presidential debate memes.
When asked about Russian and Iranian attempts to influence the election, Biden said the countries would “pay the price” if he was elected. Trump said Russia and Iran were working to prevent him being re-elected.
“There has been nobody tougher on Russia than Donald Trump,” Trump said.
The debate also turned to the topic of racial justice. The night’s moderator, NBC News’ Kristen Welker, brought up Trump’s calling the Black Lives Matter movement a symbol of hate and sharing videos of white supremacists, and asked the president how he responds to critics. “I don’t know what to say,” he said. “They can say anything. It makes me sad.”
Biden was asked about his voting record in the 1980s and 90s, which has been criticized for its role in incarcerating thousands of young black men for small amounts of drug possession. “It was a mistake,” he said. “That’s why I’ve been arguing that in fact we should not send anyone to jail for a pure drug offense. They should be going into treatment across the board.”
On climate change and the environment, Biden reiterated his plan that calls for reducing carbon emissions from the electric sector by 2035. The plan calls for stricter gas mileage standards and would also fund investments for weatherizing millions of homes and commercial buildings. It would also upgrade the nation’s transportation system, as well as invest in wind and solar energy.
Trump said that under his administration the US has become energy independent and he touted the oil industry.
“We don’t need all these countries that we had to fight wars over because we needed their energy,” he said.
He called wind energy “extremely expensive” and said it “kills all the birds.” Counting on solar energy as an alternative energy source was a “pipe dream” because it “doesn’t quite have it yet.”
Perhaps the biggest statement on the climate and energy came from Biden, who said he would work to transition away from oil entirely and move toward renewable energies. When asked why he would do that he said, “Because the oil industry pollutes significantly … it has to be replaced by renewable energy, over time.”
Trump jumped on the statement and spoke directly to voters in swing states with significant petroleum industries.
“He is going to destroy you,” Trump said. “Will you remember that Texas? Will you remember that Pennsylvania and Oklahoma?”
The event was the last chance Americans will get to see the candidates head-to-head before they head to the polls. More than 45 million people have already voted nationwide, a record turnout for early ballots. Two weeks ago, the candidates’ running mates took the stage in Salt Lake City to the case for their tickets. Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger Sen. Kamala Harris clashed over the coronavirus and climate change.
CNET’s Andrew Morse contributed to this report.
